Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledges to crack down on unfair targeting of private firms

Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledges to crack down on unfair targeting of private firms

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has warned local governments not to target private companies with unfair fines and promised further measures to improve the business environment next year. The pledge – made at a meeting of the State Council, China’s cabinet, on Monday – follows accusations that some local authorities have been trying to raise extra … Read more

China’s vice-premier pushes trade resilience amid US tariff threat

China’s vice-premier pushes trade resilience amid US tariff threat

Beijing’s top official handling trade and economic affairs talks with the United States inspected major container ports in China’s top exporting province on Sunday, amid concerns over the potential impact of US president-elect Donald Trump’s trade policies. During his visits to Nansha Port in the city of Guangzhou and Shekou Port in the city of … Read more

Will China’s top legislature give the green light to fiscal stimulus package?

Will China’s top legislature give the green light to fiscal stimulus package?

The National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China’s top legislative body, will convene in Beijing on Monday to discuss a wide range of issues. A large fiscal stimulus, recommended by several prominent economists and hotly anticipated by investors, is likely to be among them. As markets speculate over the potential size of a fiscal package … Read more

China eyes ‘top-tier industrial workforce’ by 2035, vows hi-tech training, talent support

China eyes ‘top-tier industrial workforce’ by 2035, vows hi-tech training, talent support

China aims to boost training, support and “ideological guidance” for its industrial workforce, to create a highly skilled talent pool as the country doubles down on hi-tech development. The goals were laid down in a set of guidelines issued jointly by the Communist Party Central Committee, the core leadership body of the ruling party, and … Read more

China to boost talent pool in science and technology with ‘world-class’ doctoral training

China to boost talent pool in science and technology with ‘world-class’ doctoral training

Beijing is moving to boost the country’s talent ranks in the fields of science and technology by creating more doctoral programmes in key areas such as medicine, engineering and emerging fields. The State Council – China’s cabinet – and the Communist Party’s Central Committee issued guidelines on Sunday calling on education authorities and universities to … Read more

China sets out ambitious timeline for comprehensive data-sharing system by 2030

China sets out ambitious timeline for comprehensive data-sharing system by 2030

China will build a comprehensive system to manage its public data as a “strategic resource” by 2030, according to an ambitious timeline jointly released on Wednesday by the Communist Party’s Central Committee and the State Council. According to state broadcaster CCTV, the intention is to build up some basic rules for the system by next … Read more

Lawmakers discuss plan to gradually lift retirement age in China

Lawmakers discuss plan to gradually lift retirement age in China

China’s top legislature has reviewed a plan to gradually raise the retirement age, months after the ruling Communist Party’s Central Committee proposed it be lifted in a “voluntary and flexible” way. The retirement age has been in place since 1951 and is among the lowest in the world. It is currently 60 for men, 55 … Read more

‘Crush them’: are China’s local governments using unsustainable tactics to repay debt?

‘Crush them’: are China’s local governments using unsustainable tactics to repay debt?

On China’s social media platforms last week, a recording surfaced that revealed a side of the country’s debt crisis that has largely gone unreported. The recording is presented as a conversation between an unnamed representative of a medical technology company and a market regulation enforcement officer, surnamed Zhang, from Chengwu county in eastern China’s Shandong … Read more

China’s localities need ‘profound reform’ to draw investment, state newspaper says

China’s localities need ‘profound reform’ to draw investment, state newspaper says

China’s localities should reduce their dependence on land and tax incentives and instead strengthen industrial chains and improve their business environments to attract investment, a state-owned newspaper has urged in a front-page commentary. Aggressive land deals, tax breaks and subsidies – frequently used to drive investment by local governments in past decades – have led … Read more

Chinese cooking oil scandal prompts new safety rules for transporting products

Chinese cooking oil scandal prompts new safety rules for transporting products

China is a major consumer of vegetable oil and has a great need for oil transport, according to the draft. In 2023, the entire country consumed a total of 39 million tonnes of oil. In the wake of the scandal, the State Council, China’s cabinet, has asked for timely industry regulations, it said. The draft … Read more